Santa Clara Police Chief Steve Lodge announces retirement

In a sudden move, Santa Clara's police chief announced he'll retire at the end of this week after more than 30 years of service.

In an e-mail he sent to the City Council, Steve Lodge said his last day of work will be Friday.

"It was time," Lodge said. "It sounds a little cliched about wanting to spend more time at home with the family, but it's pretty accurate."

Lodge, 52, is eligible for the maximum pension after three decades on the force. He said he has "nothing lined up" in terms of another job. Lodge and his wife, Ruth, have three sons.

In an e-mail he sent earlier to the city council, Lodge wrote: "This has been in the works for several months. But I asked (City Manager) Jennifer (Sparacino) to keep it in the strictest confidence so that it did not become a distraction during the labor negotiations."

Last week, the police department management's bargaining unit agreed to concessions during negotiations, a move that will, among other things, cut pay by more than 5 percent a year in an effort to avoid layoffs. The police officers' union has not agreed to the concessions.

Lodge said he wanted to see the negotiations through, and needed to officially retire before the end of the year, so that his pension benefits could be triggered most effectively.

"I think the timing was right for him," said Mayor Jamie Matthews. "He is one of the finest individuals to grace public service."

Councilman Will Kennedy, who said the retirement surprised him, called Lodge a "popular police chief" who will be missed.

Advertisement

Deputy City Manager Carol McCarthy said Assistant Chief Kevin Kyle will act as interim chief. He has been with the department since 1982, the last seven as assistant chief.

"Kevin is eminently qualified to lead the police department," Lodge said.

The city of Santa Clara is the last city in California to have an elected police chief. According to the city charter, Lodge's vacancy must be filled by City Council appointment. That person would likely serve out the remainder of the chief's four-year term until November 2012, unless a special election is called before then.

The council will meet Jan. 11 to discuss how to choose Lodge's replacement.

In his e-mail to the council, Lodge recounted the day he was hired, July 23, 1980, by then-Chief Manny Ferguson, who gave "a starry-eyed 22-year-old who was about to graduate from the police academy a shot at the young man's dream job" as a beat cop "chasing bad guys." Lodge said he never dreamed he'd be the police chief.

Lodge rose through the ranks, working as a patrol division watch commander, and was a co-founder of the Citizens' Police Academy. He is also a graduate of San Jose State University, with bachelor degrees in the administration of justice and business management.

His e-mail notes he has hired or promoted 107 out of the city's 135 sworn officers.

Lodge is also credited by his own staff for being open and forthright. However, recently he became embroiled in a controversy for providing service for free escort service for the San Francisco 49ers team bus on trips to the airport and also to a handful of preseason games in Oakland.

Critics complained that he was giving the team a free ride at a time when the city is facing a budget crisis. Lodge ended up changing his billing procedure based on the complaints billing the team for $18,000.